'The worst sunrise in my life': Ukrainians describe waking up to Russian attack
The missile fragment pierced the ceiling of Mikhail Shcherbakov바카라 게임 웹사이트s apartment in Kharkiv, Ukraine바카라 게임 웹사이트s second largest city. A Russian attack, after weeks of warnings, had hit home.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I heard noise and woke up. I realized it sounded like artillery,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Shcherbakov said. He jumped from the couch and ran to wake his mother, and something exploded behind him.
The missile left a nearby computer and teacup shrouded with dust, instant artifacts of Europe바카라 게임 웹사이트s latest crisis.
At dawn on Thursday, Ukrainians바카라 게임 웹사이트 uneasy efforts at normality were shattered. Smoke rose from cities, even well away from the country바카라 게임 웹사이트s disputed eastern border.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Today I had the worst sunrise in my life,바카라 게임 웹사이트 said another Kharkiv resident, who gave her name only as Sasha. She rushed to her balcony and realized the sounds that had woken her weren바카라 게임 웹사이트t fireworks.
Farther from the border, a morning commute transformed into chaos, with lines of cars waiting at fuel stations or fleeing from the gray and drizzly capital, Kyiv. People carrying luggage took shelter in the subway, unsure of where to go.
Some panicked. Others clung to routine, with irritation.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I바카라 게임 웹사이트m not afraid. I바카라 게임 웹사이트m going to work. The only unusual thing is that you can바카라 게임 웹사이트t find a taxi in Kyiv,바카라 게임 웹사이트 one resident complained, as air raid sirens wailed.
Many seemed unsure how to react. Kyiv바카라 게임 웹사이트s main street, Khreshchatyk, rippled with anxiety as people checked their phones. Some walked their dogs or waved at friends.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I바카라 게임 웹사이트m not scared at the moment. Maybe I바카라 게임 웹사이트ll be scared later,바카라 게임 웹사이트 resident Maxim Prudskoi said.
But elsewhere in the capital, Anna Dovnya watched soldiers and police remove shrapnel from an exploded shell and was terrified. 바카라 게임 웹사이트We have lost all faith,바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Until the very last moment, I didn바카라 게임 웹사이트t believe it would happen. I just pushed away these thoughts.바카라 게임 웹사이트
In Mariupol, the Azov Sea port city that many feared would be the first major target because of its strategic importance, AP journalists saw similar scenes of mixed routine and fear.
Some residents waited at bus stops, seemingly on their way to work, while others rushed to leave the city that is less than 10 miles from the front line with the Donetsk People바카라 게임 웹사이트s Republic, one of two separatist-held areas recognized by Russian President Vladimir Putin as independent this week in a prelude to the attack.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I can바카라 게임 웹사이트t do anything. I바카라 게임 웹사이트m just stuck standing here,바카라 게임 웹사이트 said one Mariupol resident who gave only his first name, Maxim, after running around the city since sunrise in search of cash or a full tank of gas, in vain.
At a supermarket, retiree Anna Efimova worried about her mother, who she said was busy stocking her basement with supplies. 바카라 게임 웹사이트There바카라 게임 웹사이트s nowhere to run, where can we run?바카라 게임 웹사이트 she said.
As the day progressed, alarm rose across Ukraine. People crowded grocery stores. In Kharkiv, worried residents inspected fragments of military hardware strewn across a children바카라 게임 웹사이트s playground.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko called on the city바카라 게임 웹사이트s 3 million people to stay indoors unless they worked in critical sectors and said everyone should prepare go-bags with necessities such as medicine and documents.
For weeks, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had tried to moderate expectations of aggression by Russia, even as warnings by the United States became more urgent. Zelenskyy argued that panic would lead to societal destabilization that could be as much of a tactical advantage for Russia as the estimated 150,000 troops that had massed on Ukraine바카라 게임 웹사이트s borders.
On Thursday, as the president imposed martial law, Ukrainians realized with a jolt that everything was changing.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I feel panic, scared and excited. I don바카라 게임 웹사이트t know who I should ask for help,바카라 게임 웹사이트 said Kyiv resident Elizaveta Melnik.바카라 게임 웹사이트 We didn바카라 게임 웹사이트t believe this situation would come.바카라 게임 웹사이트
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Francesca Ebel in Kyiv contributed to this story.